Means for securing umbrella ribs



June 18, 1957 N. M. \A IITTMAN 2,796,073

- I MEANS FOR SECURING UMBRELLA RIBS Original Filed Sept. 22, 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 11, 1956. Divided and this application March 7, 1956, Serial No. 570,079

3 Claims. (Cl. 1335-48) This invention relates to improvements in umbrella rib securing means.

The invention is more particularly concerned with an improved structure in umbrella rib securing means for facilitating the attachment of umbrella ribs thereto, Whereby the ribs may be individually, readily and easily detached for repair or replacement without affecting the attachment of the remaining ribs.

The present invention is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 381,697, filed September 22, 1953, now Patent No. 2,762,383 issued September 11, 1956.

It has heretofore been the prevailing practice to provide umbrella rib securing means with an annular pivot member such as is indicated in the patents Schultz et al. No. 1,141,494 and Haydn No. 2,635,616.

In the first patent structure, the annular pivot member is clamped in position by tongues 14 intermediate which are umbrella rib and receiving notches.

In the second patent structure, the pivot member is provided by a wire extending through apertures in lugs and whose opposite ends are twisted together.

In the first patent structure the braces or ribs are provided with hooks at their inner ends but with the continuous pivot member the ribs cannot be individually removed without detachment of their outer ends.

In the second patent structure the inner ends of the ribs are provided with closed eyes and accordingly the wire pivot member would need be removed or cut, thereby effecting the pivotal connections of all the ribs in the event it is found necessary to replace a single rib.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide improved umbrella rib securing means whereby the inner ends of umbrella ribs may be detached individually without in any way affecting the pivotal connections of the inner ends of the remaining ribs.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed decription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a top plan view of the primary ring member embodied in the invention.

Figure 2 is a diametrical sectional view of the primary ring member as observed in the plane of line 2-2 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a secondary ring member for operative association with the primary ring member of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an edge view of the secondary ring member.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the assembled primary and secondary ring members together with the displaceable pivot members for the umbrella ribs, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmental diametrical section as observed in the plane of line 66 on Figure 5.

The structure embodies a primary ring member 10, and a secondary ring member 11. The primary ring member 10 comprises a flat base 12 having a sleeve receiving opening 13, bolt receiving apertures 14 and umbrella rib end ice 2. receiving slots 15 which open into the base 12 and through a circumferential flange 16 which includes a downwardly directed curved rib 17 defining an internal pivot receiving channel 18.

The secondary ring member 11 is flat and is provided with a sleeve receiving opening-1'9 and bolt receivingapertures 20 for axial alignment-with the bolt receiving" apertures 1 4 in the primary ringmember.

The secondary ring member 11 is providedfwi'tli radially disposed slots 21 which" are socircumferentially spaced as to be alignable with the similarly disposed slots 15 in the primary ring member.

The secondary ring member 11 is further provided with a plurality of recesses 22 opening inwardly from its periphery, there being a recess adjacent each slot 21 and to the right thereof as observed in Figure 3. Each said recess 22 includes a marginal pivot member receiving portion 23 together with a radially inwardly directed pivot locking portion 24, the recess portion 23 at one end thereof terminating in a shoulder 25 and the recess 22 is separated from the adjacent slot 21 by a radially disposed tongue 26.

With this structure, individual wire pivot members P are disposed in the recesses 22. Each such pivot member includes an elongated shank s and a right angularly disposed head 11.

In the attached position of the end parts r of umbrella ribs R, as indicated in Figure 5, the shanks s which rest in channel 18, traverse the slots 15-21 with the free end portions disposed beneath the plate 11 and beyond the slots while the heads h thereof are disposed within the inset recess portions 24 whereby the pivot members are locked against circumferential movement.

In Figure 5 one of the pivot members P is shown in its retracted position and wherein the aligned plate slots 15-21 are unobstructed, whereby a perforated apertured rib end r may be inserted into the aligned slots, after which the pivot member may be grasped by its head h and pushed into the position of the remaining pivot members in Figure 5.

It is to be particularly observed that the pivot members P are curved on the radius of the recess portions 23 in their pivoting positions. In the assembled position of the pivot members, the secondary ring member 11 is inserted Within the flange 16 of the primary ring member 10 and by insertion of bolts B within the apertures 14 and 20, the pivot members P are rigidly clamped, into position, and While the heads h of the pivot members are substantially vertically disposed when in their retracted inoperative positions. The bolts B are drawn up for further clamping all of the pivotal members in operative posit-ion.

From the above disclosure it will be particularly noted that the umbrella rib pivoting means in accordance with the invention differs from prior structures of this kind essentially in that individual pivot members for the cor-, responding ribs are herein provided while in the prior structures the rib pivoting means consisted in a single pivoting member connected to all of the ribs and which structure rendered replacement extremely diflicult.

While I have disclosed my invention in accordance with a single specific structural embodiment thereof, such is to be considered as illustrative only, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined in the sub-joined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters P-a-tcut is:

1. :In a rib securing means for umbrellas, a pair of cooperating ring members, one of said ring members having a circumferential channel adjacent its base and a flange projecting outwardly from the base, a plurality of radially disposed slots opening through said flange and into said base in intersecting relation to said channel, for receiving the apertured ends of umbrella ribs, an elongated pivot member disposed in said channel adjacent each said slot, the sec-0nd ring member being provided with radially disposed slots alignable with said first slots, the periphery of said second ring member fitting within said flange, a recess in said second ring member adjacent each slot therein for receiving the shanks of said elongated pivot members when in retracted position, the said pivot members being movable in said channel and beneath said second ring member to intersect said slots and through the apertures in said rib ends, and means engageable with both ring members for clamping said pivot members in operative position between same.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said recesses include radially inset portions, and said pivot members having angularly disposed heads receivable in said inset portions when in operative position.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein said ring members are provided with aligned apertures and said clamping means comprising bolts extended through said apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,145,285 Williamson July 6, 1915 

